Suspicious police overstep constitutional bounds

Published: Wednesday, January 16, 2013 at 08:00 AM.

On Sunday morning I was out riding my bike along State 77 in Lynn Haven. I stopped to look at two business properties that are for sale. One is the closed Indian restaurant all done up in decorations that caused my Russian mother-in-law to mistake the place for an Orthodox church the first time she saw it. The other is the falling-down gas station next door. I sometimes entertain the idea of starting a business of my own, so such properties are of interest to me.

While standing in the parking lot of the closed restaurant a police officer drove up and wanted to know what I was doing there. I told her I was looking at the buildings. She demanded I.D., of which I had none, but she was satisfied with me just telling her my name, address, height, eye color (I had sunglasses on) phone number (which I don’t know, I never call myself) date of birth and, last but not least, what I do for a living. By then another police officer had arrived on the scene, just in case, I suppose.

I ask her if I was breaking a law, to which she replied “no.” She then called in all of the information I had supplied (she forgot to get my Social Security number now that I think of it). I suppose I “checked out,” as the old saying goes, and I was sent on my way being reminded not to hang around “abandoned buildings.”

I knew right off this police officer was wrong, and as I made my way home the whole thing started sinking in even deeper than when she first drove up. By her own word she said she did not observe me breaking any law, yet she chose to detain me and milk me for information, tying up another officer in the process. She referred to the properties as “abandoned” when they are clearly marked by “FOR SALE” signs — not “KEEP OUT” or “NO TRESSPASSING” signs. If they had been I would have taken the hint and stayed away. So I suppose a potential buyer looking at a property with a “FOR SALE” sign on it is just really too weird behavior?

I have served in the military and have worked in law enforcement. I have sworn oaths to uphold, protect and defend our Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic on more than one occasion. It is obvious to most reading this by now that this police officer was in gross violation of the Fourth Amendment contained in the Bill of Rights. In fact, the only crime being committed in that parking lot was by this police officer.

I don’t know if the training is different from what I got nearly 40 years ago, or if they no longer make such promises to God and men. But if they still do swear such oaths and make such promises to uphold and defend our Constitution from all of those enemies then they really need to take a little time out and read what the supreme law of our republic says. Then they must find the courage to live up to their oaths, which is often another matter altogether.

I pray for all who work in law enforcement. I hope they find their way. When governments go insane the sane become “criminals.”

On Sunday morning I was out riding my bike along State 77 in Lynn Haven. I stopped to look at two business properties that are for sale. One is the closed Indian restaurant all done up in decorations that caused my Russian mother-in-law to mistake the place for an Orthodox church the first time she saw it. The other is the falling-down gas station next door. I sometimes entertain the idea of starting a business of my own, so such properties are of interest to me.

While standing in the parking lot of the closed restaurant a police officer drove up and wanted to know what I was doing there. I told her I was looking at the buildings. She demanded I.D., of which I had none, but she was satisfied with me just telling her my name, address, height, eye color (I had sunglasses on) phone number (which I don’t know, I never call myself) date of birth and, last but not least, what I do for a living. By then another police officer had arrived on the scene, just in case, I suppose.

I ask her if I was breaking a law, to which she replied “no.” She then called in all of the information I had supplied (she forgot to get my Social Security number now that I think of it). I suppose I “checked out,” as the old saying goes, and I was sent on my way being reminded not to hang around “abandoned buildings.”

I knew right off this police officer was wrong, and as I made my way home the whole thing started sinking in even deeper than when she first drove up. By her own word she said she did not observe me breaking any law, yet she chose to detain me and milk me for information, tying up another officer in the process. She referred to the properties as “abandoned” when they are clearly marked by “FOR SALE” signs — not “KEEP OUT” or “NO TRESSPASSING” signs. If they had been I would have taken the hint and stayed away. So I suppose a potential buyer looking at a property with a “FOR SALE” sign on it is just really too weird behavior?

I have served in the military and have worked in law enforcement. I have sworn oaths to uphold, protect and defend our Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic on more than one occasion. It is obvious to most reading this by now that this police officer was in gross violation of the Fourth Amendment contained in the Bill of Rights. In fact, the only crime being committed in that parking lot was by this police officer.

I don’t know if the training is different from what I got nearly 40 years ago, or if they no longer make such promises to God and men. But if they still do swear such oaths and make such promises to uphold and defend our Constitution from all of those enemies then they really need to take a little time out and read what the supreme law of our republic says. Then they must find the courage to live up to their oaths, which is often another matter altogether.

I pray for all who work in law enforcement. I hope they find their way. When governments go insane the sane become “criminals.”